Iraq: Parliament approves new inclusive government

Euronews

The Iraqi parliament has approved part of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s new government on Monday evening.

The interior and defence ministers have not yet been agreed, however the positions will be filled within a week according to Abadi.

Representatives of all of Iraq’s main religious and ethnic components have been included in the new administration. They now face the difficult challenge of regaining control of large swathes of the country taken over by Islamic State militants.

Abadi has named two deputy prime ministers, Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd and Iraq’s only post-Saddam Hussein foreign minister, and Saleh al-Mutlaq, a secular Sunni Muslim.

The parliament approved the ceremonial posts of vice presidents for the outgoing prime minister Nuri al-Maliki from the Shia Islamic al Dawa Party and parliament speaker Usama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni Muslim.